Sparks Fly
by Maybeawriter
Summary: A sudden downpour, a shop awning, a pair of pining dorks, and a severe case of Brontophobia. Mix them together and what do you get? (LoliRock Multishipping Week 2017, Day One - Rain)


This oneshot literally would not exist without Followmetoyourdoom and Margoteve giving their suggestions, additions, and support. I love you guys! :D

Oh, also, this is set sometime after "If You Can't Beat 'Em" and before "Princess Brenda"

* * *

Iris was out walking Amaru when the clouds first started to gather. It didn't seem like a big deal. The forecast hadn't predicted anything more than a partly cloudy afternoon.

It soon became clear that the forecast was wrong. The clouds were getting darker, scooting faster across the sky.

"I don't like the look of this, Amaru. We'd better go back." Iris turned-

-and nearly smacked into a smirking boy with purple hair.

"Are you lost, Princess?" He leaned down a little to look at her.

Amaru growled at him, while Iris shifted into a fighting position.

"Mephisto?! What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "Eh, Praxina's running errands and I got bored."

She frowned skeptically. "'Running errands,' huh?"

Mephisto glanced to the side. "...We _do_ have to survive on this miserable rock, you know."

"What's she using for money?"

He scowled. That got under his skin.

She was on the right track, after all. Praxina was obtaining food and supplies through some... slightly felonious methods. But he didn't want to admit it. They weren't exactly proud of that aspect of their situation.

"Look, if I were you, Princess, I would be more worried about myself." His smirk was back, sharp and wicked as a viper. "...Perhaps I should get Gramorr something pretty, while we're out."

He raised his hand, summoning a magic circle. Iris mirrored him, gritting her teeth. A battle was about to erupt when a crack of thunder distracted them. The clouds opened and fat heavy raindrops started pelting them. Amaru whined loudly and ran under a nearby shop awning. Iris followed, covering her head with her hands.

"Hey!" Mephisto cried, annoyed. "I'm pretty sure I'm a bigger threat than a few drops of water!" He stayed where he was.

The raindrops were huge and cold and falling hard enough to hurt. Iris was already pretty well soaked from her short exposure. Mephisto was utterly drenched within the minute.

Finally, he gave a loud sigh and teleported under the awning. His arms were crossed as he pouted, refusing to look at Iris.

"...Truce?" she offered.

Another sigh. "Fine, whatever." He stood as far away from her as he possibly could.

His wet bangs were plastered to his forehead and his eyeliner was smudged. Basically, he looked like an emo kitten that had just narrowly avoided drowning.

Amaru shivered at Iris' feet, prompting her to pick him up and mumble apologies into his fur.

Mephisto watched enviously. He was soaked to the bone and Iris was mostly dry, and yet _she_ got to hug the ornery little heat source? It wasn't fair.

The silence dragged on uncomfortably, both of them lost in their own thoughts. The rain showed no signs of stopping.

It was... strange, being alone with Mephisto. It was the first time since That Day, as Iris had begun to think of it. It felt oddly reminiscent, both of them standing there awkwardly.

Memories of That Day flashed through her head. How good it had felt to fight alongside him. The things he'd said, the way he'd looked at her... It couldn't be more different than his current grumpy attitude. She wondered if it had been a fluke, a one time thing. Or... maybe something else, entirely.

She wondered if he'd lost sleep, thinking about it, as she had. If he blushed when he remembered her words, as she did. If his heart was currently thumping wildly in his chest, as hers was.

Mephisto was wondering the same exact thing.

"Do you-" "I'm-" They began at the same time, then stopped and blinked at each other.

"Uh, you first," Iris said.

He coughed. "...Just that I'm gonna be in so much trouble. Praxina is not gonna be happy about this."

Yes, that was definitely what he'd been about to say. He certainly wasn't about to make a joke to try to lighten the mood. Maybe get Iris to smile. She did have such a lovely smile...

Iris just nodded, chewing her lip and averting her gaze.

"...What was your thing?" Mephisto eventually prompted, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, um, nothing, just, um..." She swallowed and forced herself to look at him. "...Do you really think I'm pretty?"

His heart jumped, his face instantly coloring. "...Did, uh, did I say- Um, why do you ask?"

Iris' own cheeks were glowing pink. "You, um, when you threatened to capture me, earlier, remember? You inferred I was 'something pretty.'"

Mephisto squirmed, his face going redder. "I- I mean, I-" He covered his embarrassment with annoyance. "I have eyes, Princess! Do you think I'm blind? Or an utter fool? Any idiot can see you're the most beautiful girl on his whole horrible planet!"

 _No, no, no!_ his brain screamed, far too late. _Shut up, shut up! Klatznik! No! Stupid!_

Iris stared at him in shock, her blue eyes shining like stars in the gray light. He looked away quickly.

"Th-thank you..."

"It's an impartial fact, Princess." His voice was hollow and he refused to look at her. "Don't read too much into it."

 _For Klatznic's sake, don't read too much into it, please..._

Lightning flashed overhead, followed by a low rumble. The wind picked up and started blowing the rain towards them.

Mephisto flinched and moved closer to the wall, away from the edges of the awning. This inadvertently brought him closer to Iris, but he wasn't thinking about that right now.

Iris moved in that direction, too, trying to stay out of the rain. Once she was closer to Mephisto, she saw that his jaw was clenched. His usually lively eyes were dull and haunted.

"Mephisto? Are you all right?"

He hesitated. "Y-yeah, of course. Why wouldn't I-"

Another rumble of thunder. He cut himself off with a quiet whimper, shutting his eyes.

Iris reached out with the hand that wasn't holding Amaru. Mephisto sensed the movement and shied away from her.

"I'm fine!" he snapped.

Iris jerked her hand back, unable to hide a flash of hurt.

"Just leave me alone." Mephisto hugged himself tighter and turned away a little. He felt like a jerk, but hey, it was her fault for treating him like a normal person.

Iris frowned. "If you detest my company so much, why don't you just teleport inside?"

"I can't, it doesn't work like-"

The world flashed white, startling them. Mephisto felt a stab of dread, but didn't have time to prepare himself.

 _BOOM!_ The sound reverberated in their chests and through the ground. It shook them to their very core, filling the air around them until there was nothing but the sound.

"PLEASE, NO!" Mephisto immediately fell to his knees, a crashing wave of sheer panic searing through him. "I'M SORRY!"

"Mephisto?!" Iris quickly knelt down, letting Amaru hop onto the sidewalk.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, please, please, please..." He was clutching his head and muttering. His eyes were huge and wild as he stared straight ahead, completely unseeing.

Iris started getting worried. She'd never seen him like this, before. "Mephisto, snap out of it!"

He didn't respond to her. It was as if he were trapped somewhere deep inside his own mind, unable to do anything but whimper and beg for mercy.

Her gut instinct was to help him. She hated to see anybody in pain. It was who she was, she was a helper. She told herself that was the only reason her stomach was twisting into painful knots and tears were welling up in her eyes.

"...Please, _please,_ Master, I'm begging you, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry, please!_ " His voice was raw and broken as his pleas became more desperate, more terrified.

Iris physically shook him, genuinely scared now. " _Mephisto!_ "

"Please, I'm sorry, _I'm sorry!_ I'll do anything, Master! Please, ple- please! _Please!_ " His whole body convulsed with sobs of pure misery. He was tormenting himself.

Iris was panicking, now. The shaking was only making him worse, but what else could she do? Maybe a quieter approach?

"Mephisto?" She moved a little closer. "Mephisto? It's okay. I don't know what's going on in your head, but it's not real. Okay? You're safe. You're okay. See?" She held her hand out where he could see it.

His pleading faded to incoherent babbles, though he was still crying. With painful slowness, like moving through tar, he reached out and took her hand. She could feel him trembling and it tore at her heart, sending tears rolling down her face.

They stayed like that for a long while, Iris repeating "You're safe, it's okay," over and over while Mephisto clung to her hand, anchoring himself. He still flinched at every new rumble, and the storm wasn't ending any time soon.

"We need to go inside," Iris said gently. "Can you walk?"

Mephisto was still breathing too fast, but he'd stopped crying. He managed to shake his head. He couldn't imagine moving, right now.

"Can you teleport?"

"N-no."

Iris looked around. There was nobody on the street because of the storm, and there was a lull in the traffic.

"Amaru?" Iris looked at him. "Can you take us to the Arena, please?"

Amaru cocked his head at her, making a confused sound.

"Not to fight," she hurried to clarify, "just to get Mephisto out of here."

" _Amaru!_ " He nodded and teleported the three of them into the pocket dimension.

Mephisto blinked, startled by the change. "Wh-where-"

"It's okay, it's okay, you're safe." Iris quickly formed a slightly sloping pillar of pink crystal and leaned him against it. "It's safe, here. No thunder."

Mephisto realized this and his whole body unclenched. His eyes already looked a little clearer and he was able to focus on her. "...Thank you."

Iris smiled a little and squeezed the hand she was still holding. Amaru nuzzled his way under Mephisto's other hand, setting his dislike of the villain aside in favor of helping Iris comfort him. Mephisto started clumsily petting him, fingers moving more out of instinct than anything else.

Eventually, Mephisto felt enough like himself again to be ashamed. He was so weak and foolish and cowardly. He wanted to resent Iris for seeing him like that, but... he couldn't. He could never bring himself to hate her.

"...Why did you help me?" he asked, struggling to understand her actions.

Iris shrugged. "You needed help, Mephisto. I couldn't just leave you there." Her attempt to sound casual wasn't quite successful, as pain crept into her eyes. "...Not like that."

He nodded numbly, unsure how to interpret her reply and afraid to get his hopes up.

"...Do you wanna talk about it?"

"What?" He looked at her incredulously. "No! I'm evil, Iris! Evil people don't sit around, talking about their feelings!"

"Well, maybe you should, considering." She raised her eyebrows significantly.

He sighed, unwilling to admit she had a point.

"...Does he hurt you very often?" Iris asked in a low, soft voice.

Mephisto's gaze jerked to meet hers, alarm and something very like shame warring in his eyes. "Wha- Why would you ask that?"

Iris looked down at their hands and stroked her thumb across his gloved fingers. "...I've never seen anybody react that way to thunder, before. I..." She took a deep breath. "...I don't like to think he's been hurting you. But you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

Mephisto averted his eyes. "N-no, of course not, Gramorr would never... He... He trusts us, we're his..." He trailed off with a sigh.

Who was he kidding? This was _Iris_ he was talking to. She knew full well what Gramorr was capable of. Besides, she knew Mephisto well enough to know when he was lying. She might be oblivious at seeing through their disguises, but plain old lies were something she understood.

"...Sometimes?" he finally whispered.

Iris nodded, blinking sympathetic tears out of her eyes. Her imagination had filled in the blanks, well enough.

"How dare he?" She grit her teeth. For some reason, the image of Mephisto writhing in pain made her incredibly angry and upset. She'd never wanted to punch Gramorr more than she did at that moment.

He looked at her in surprise, wondering why she cared so much. Before he could respond, Iris had seized him in a tight embrace. He was still wet, but she didn't care.

"I had no idea," she muttered. "I never thought..."

He froze at her touch. Was this a hug? Praxina hadn't hugged him in months. "...We didn't _want_ you to." He tried to shift away from her, tried to stay mad and resist the urge to hug her back. "We don't need your pity."

She pulled away. "Pity? I _admire_ you, Mephisto."

"...Come again?"

"How can you be so cheerful, so strong, when he's abused you like that? You're so brave."

"...Me?" His face colored. "Strong? Brave? I think you have me confused with Praxina."

Iris shook her head stubbornly. "As far as I'm concerned, you're way braver than she is. She's let it turn her angry and bitter. You? You've still got some good in you." She placed her hand over his heart impulsively.

This made her aware of two things. For one, Mephisto's wet shirt clung to his skin and was ever so slightly transparent, just enough to make out his pleasantly toned build. For another, his heart was beating rapidly under her hand.

"...I... um..." Iris' cheeks burned.

He was equally flustered. Part of him wanted to escape, to get her hand off his chest. Another, more dangerous part wanted to stay and take her in his arms and hold her close and-

Iris drew back, looking away. "Sorry, sorry..." He didn't like her that way, she needed to stop imprinting her feelings onto him.

Mephisto was disappointed, but not surprised. Surely, she could never feel the same as he did. "It's fine. Really."

His gloves were getting cold in the absence of Iris' hands, reminding him that they were still soaking wet. He regretfully peeled them off and set them aside, rubbing his hands on his pants to dry them.

Iris suddenly grabbed his hand to look at it. "Oh my gosh, what happened to you?"

There were several scars on his hands, most of them of the non-permanent variety but not yet faded.

"Oh, you know... Various incidents." He shrugged. "A couple crystal scrapes... Cut myself on a rock..."

"What about these?" She traced a curved line of older, faint scars.

Mephisto winced at the memory. "...Banes."

Iris gave an angry hum. "That stupid cat..." Without much thought, she brought that hand up and brushed a quick, light kiss over the marks. "All better."

Mephisto barely stifled a squeak, his face bright red. "...Um?"

Iris realized what she'd just done and blushed. "I, uh, that's what my Aunt Ellen always used to do when I hurt myself. You, erm, kiss it better..."

Mephisto couldn't quite explain the lump in his throat. "...Oh."

Embarrassed, Iris set his hands down and hugged herself. "I'm so sorry I keep touching you. It's just a habit. I won't do it again."

She cursed her overly familiar attitude. She was used to being touchy-feely with her friends, but obviously she was making him uncomfortable.

Stupid, stupid girl. He was a self-declared villain, he couldn't possibly like her back.

Mephisto swallowed hard. Did he dare? What if he had miscalculated? Even more frightening, what if he _hadn't?_

He looked at her beautiful face for a moment, then sat up a little. Yes, he dared.

He reached out hesitantly and took her hand with uncharacteristic gentleness.

"...Please do," he said in a low, almost sultry voice. "You can touch me all you like, Princess. I don't mind."

Iris met his gaze, shocked. It was like something out of her romantic daydreams. Maybe this _was_ a daydream. He couldn't actually be saying these things.

"You mean it?" she said, fully expecting him to say no, to laugh in her face and tell her it was an evil prank.

"I've never meant anything more." His eyes were soft and affectionate and his expression sincere.

Maybe he was still a little loopy from the breakdown, or maybe he'd finally become aware of something he'd always known. Or both. It didn't matter. All he cared about was the warm feeling that filled his chest and made his toes tingle and his brain fuzzy.

Iris moved closer to him, tentatively reaching out to touch his face. She thought maybe he would change his mind and move away. Instead, he leaned forward to meet her hand. She was silently screaming.

This was all she'd wanted to do ever since That Day. Okay, not _all,_ but it was high on the list.

She giggled for pure happiness. "...I never returned your compliment."

"Hmm?" He was preoccupied with intertwining their fingers and drawing her closer.

"You said I was the most beautiful girl on the planet. I didn't have the nerve to tell you you're the handsomest boy."

He blinked at her with wide eyes. "R-really? You think so?"

Iris nodded as her heart thumped loudly in her ears. Had she always been this attracted to him? Or was it new? She wasn't sure when it had started, now.

Mephisto was relishing the feeling of her skin. When was the last time he'd touched somebody with his bare hands? Years ago, maybe. And it definitely wasn't like this.

They were close, now. So close. Their faces were only a few inches apart, eyes lingering on lips, hot breath mixing.

They both wanted so very badly to close the distance, to quench the longing in their souls, to pretend, just for a moment, that this wasn't all just a hopeless fantasy.

Amaru tugged on Iris' dress and made a concerned noise.

The spell was broken. The pair froze and began regretfully drifting apart, the disappointment in the air palatable.

"We should go," Iris said sadly, a weight settling in her chest.

"Yeah." He sighed. "Praxina will be looking for me."

"Can you walk?"

"Yes, I feel okay, now. Thanks to you."

They climbed to their feet, shooting each other reluctant glances. Neither of them wanted to leave this place, this moment.

A flash of light and they were standing under the awning again. It was still raining, but the sun was starting to break through the clouds. The thunder was gone.

Iris and Mephisto stood there for a minute in silence. It felt like they'd been dreaming a beautiful, perfect dream, only to be awoken by a cold bucket of reality.

Out here, they would be enemies, again. It would be as if nothing had changed. As if their hearts weren't breaking.

"I'd... better be getting back home." Iris bent down to reattach Amaru's leash. Her movements were slow and clumsy.

Mephisto forced a smirk, though it was painfully insincere. "Guess I'll see you around, Princess."

Iris gave an equally unconvincing smile. "Not if I see you first." She took off at a run, trying to dodge the raindrops. And her emotions, for that matter.

Mephisto's face fell the moment her back was turned.

What just happened between them... They could never discuss that. Never even acknowledge it. Just like the first incident. They had to be sensible. This was the real world. They were enemies. That wonderful, fantastic feeling in his chest... He had to forget that. For her sake, just as much as his.

He clenched his fists, tears welling up in his eyes. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to go after her. But, no, he couldn't. He couldn't. He had to stay put, had to do the right thing, the smart thing-

No! NO! He didn't want this. He didn't want to be sensible. He didn't want to forget that feeling. To forget _her._

Mephisto, for once in his life, knew exactly what he wanted.

With a determined expression and pounding heart, he teleported into the street and started running.

How had she gotten so far in such a short time? Where was she? Why did these tears have to obscure his vision?

If he lost her now, before he had a chance to-

Wait, he saw it, a flash of pink and yellow- around the corner- a burst of speed-

"Iris, wait!"

She turned with a gasp. "Mephisto?"

He ran into her arms, almost knocking her off her feet as he grabbed her in a frantic embrace.

Iris returned it after a surprised second, burying her wet face in his chest. She was crying, just as he was. Their tears mixed with the rainwater as they clung to each other and sobbed with pain and relief and happiness and fear, all rolled into one overwhelming mess.

Once he regained some control of himself, Mephisto released her and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs. He didn't plan what he was about to do, he just did what felt right.

He pressed his lips to Iris' in an odd mixture of gentleness and desperation. She froze in shock.

Mephisto pulled back, cursing his own boldness. "Sorry, I'm sorry," he muttered. "I shouldn't have-"

Iris stood up on tiptoe and kissed him back, melting into his arms with a contented hum as her fingers tangled in his hair. It felt like she'd been suffocating, and all of a sudden she could breathe.

They kissed as if their lives depended on it, as if they would never have this chance again, completely lost in the moment as the rain fell like confetti around them. The kiss felt like fireworks, like electricity, like a riptide.

Finally, they parted and gasped breathlessly, staring into each other's shining eyes with something that felt alarmingly like love but couldn't possibly be.

"...We can't pretend nothing happened." Mephisto ran his fingers through her hair, half in awe that it was ok to do so. "Not again. I... I don't know what this feeling is, but I don't want it to stop. I want to see where it takes us." He touched his forehead to hers, pouring his entire soul into his words. "Will you give me a chance?"

Iris gave him a smile that felt like sunshine in the rain. "Yes, of course, I will! I've been dreaming about this ever since the last time, when we fought together and when we talked and you said such sweet things and I felt such a connection, and I just..." She nuzzled his face, wrapping her arms around his neck as if she never intended to let go. "...I know it's going to be difficult, but... It's worth a shot, right?"

"Worth a shot," he echoed, grinning like an idiot.

"We should try and keep it a secret, shouldn't we?"

"Oh, yeah, definitely. Praxina would kill me, and Gramorr would do worse than that." He shuddered. "...Are you busy tomorrow?"

"Nope, just a practice in the morning. My whole afternoon is clear." She absently brushed a lock of wet hair behind his ear, so it was out of his face.

"Maybe we can do something, then?"

"Why, Mephisto, are you asking me on a date?" She bit her lip cheekily.

"I... I guess I am, yes." He laughed. "It would be a first for me, I admit. Meet me at the park at two?"

"Sure!" Her smiled faded to concern. "Although, isn't that a little exposed? We have to be really careful."

"Nah, I'll come in disguise, it'll be fine."

"How will I recognize you? I'm not exactly good at seeing through your disguises..."

"I'll let you in on a little secret, Princess. Don't tell the others, but..." He lowered his voice conspiratorially. "...Our eyes are always the same."

"Ah, so if I find a silly boy with the most perfect green eyes..." she teased.

He snickered, blushing. "That'll be me, yes."

She giggled and gave him a quick peck on the nose. "See you, then?"

"I'll count the minutes, dear Princess."

"And I the seconds," she whispered back.

One more kiss, this time filled with a sort of reckless hope, and then she was off. She tossed a smile over her shoulder as she and Amaru hurried on their way. There was a song bursting inside her, spilling out as a melody under her breath.

Mephisto waved a little, sighing dreamily. He looked up, letting the rain fall over his face. He suddenly couldn't feel the cold at all.

Swooning, he found himself hovering a few inches off the pavement. He stopped that immediately. Two hours ago, he couldn't have cared less if humans found out about magic, but he knew it mattered to Iris, and that it might endanger her if word got out, so he was resolved to be more careful, from now on.

Still, the giddy joy inside him refused to be contained. He turned and started skipping, actually _skipping_ back the way he came. Enjoying the way the puddles splashed when he landed in them. Grinning like a simpleton, spinning in joyous circles. He felt like a little kid, happier than he'd been in so long.

He finally stopped and leaned against a wall, his head somewhere in the dispersing clouds.

A whooshing sound and burst of red light signaled Praxina's arrival beside him. She was holding an overstuffed backpack.

" _There_ you are. I've got everything. Let's get out of here before the law enforcing humans show up and pester us."

Mephisto kept his expression carefully normal. A regular old evil scowl, even as his eyes danced. "Took you long enough. Let's go."

"...Wait a second." She gave him a sharp look up and down.

He held his breath, positive she'd found him out. How? He'd barely said anything! He started phrasing his response, which mostly consisted of begging her not to tell Gramorr.

"You're soaking wet! And what happened to your gloves?"

Mephisto had to stop himself from showing the overwhelming relief flooding him. "Uh, I kinda... lost them." He gave a nervous laugh.

Praxina scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I'm not wasting our time looking for them. You'll have to do without."

His gloves in exchange for his happiness. Seemed like a pretty good deal to Mephisto.

* * *

Yes, the title is a Taylor Swift reference. Seriously, though, the lyrics fit so good. Google the thing. :3

Hope you enjoyed! If you did, please leave a comment! They feed my soul.


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